BITTERCUBE & THE CRAFT COCKTAIL
By Matt Dowgwillo - Jul 27, 2016
CRAFT NOTES HIGHLIGHTS ESSENTIAL LOCAL CRAFTSMEN FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO MINNESOTA CULTURE.
BITTERCUBE, THE ‘FOUNDERS’ OF MN’S CRAFT COCKTAIL MOVEMENT.
To me, in 2009, a “craft cocktail” pretty much meant a mojito or something. But at a little bar in South Minneapolis (Town Talk Diner), a movement was being born.
Bittercube’s influence on Minnesota drink culture is without question. As seasoned bartenders, they’ve worked with and taught their skills to a range of career bartenders. These have eventually moved to other venues and brought what they learned from working alongside Bittercube to new places across the Twin Cities.
How did Bittercube come together?
THE FOLKS
When they started, there were pretty much no other craft bitter companies out in the world.
In 2009, then bartender Nick Kosevich was playing around with making his own bitters so he could make the drinks at Town Talk Diner more distinct (and if you remember the days at the bar, more fun).
In fact, it was the fun attitude that made the place successful, even if the drinks were not yet reaching today’s standards.
At the same time, founding partner Ira Koplowitz was doing the same thing at Chicago’s The Violet Hour, who started the midwest regional movement for classic craft cocktails. It was Ira that brought a more classic, refined, and quality-focus to the company. Preaching the fundamentals of the classic cocktail. His knowledge and understanding of the various spirits (and categories) and how they went together is virtually unmatched.
“The success of the company was bringing those 2 worlds together… Ira’s classic training and professionalism mixed with Nick’s fun attitude and desire to experiment and push the limits and constraints; a perfect blend of personalities and skills…”
THEY HELP BARS OPEN WITH GREAT COCKTAILS
Bittercube is a unique business. Half cocktail consultants and half apothecaries.
They don’t really have a brick and mortar of their own. Instead, they use their expertise to partner with bars across the nation that are trying to do something exceptional.
Essentially they are drink and bartender consultants. They come in to help great places craft great cocktail programs, bringing in their own team to help train local staff, then taper off their involvement over time.
In the last 8 years, they’ve helped refine and launch cocktail programs at 25 different places across the nation, here are some locally that you know:
EAT STREET SOCIAL
Opening Eat Street Social was an ambitious program for the Bittercube team. Their cocktail program revolved around making everything in house, which forced the Bittercube team to spend crazy hours there, sometimes sleeping there, to pull it off.
And they got to spend 3 years there honing their craft and perfecting products. But they also learned a lesson…
Nick loves the way maker culture has become a movement and loves to try products people make. However, Bittercube’s philosophy, as far as bartending is concerned, does not revolve around 100% house-made. It’s just too much work, and some of the products people are making; the quality is tough to beat. Instead, they learned to focus on making exceptional bitters, then learning about and tasting other makers products to push their cocktails further.
LAWLESS DISTILLING
The distilling laws in MN are tough. If you make spirits and want to sell them out of a tasting room, every single ingredient (alcoholic) needs to be made in house. This is where Bittercube comes in.
Bittercube has been given carte blanche to create anything they can imagine and change the Lawless drink menu regularly.
THE BITTERCUBE TEAM
What started small scale with nothing but 6 great recipes made in 15 gallon batches (sold by the once) and 2 employees (the owners Nick and Ira) has grown to 15 employees and 200 gallon batches.
Most of the staff are bartenders that help with demos and events, but many people show up every day to distill bitters at the Milwaukee production facility.
AT HOME IN MPLS & MKE
Bittercube now does most of it’s commercial production out of their Milwaukee headquarters, where they are transforming the local neighborhood’s craft scene. But ever since Nick returned to MN in 2012 to open the Eat Street Social, it’s been a solid home base.
Think: Minneapolis Food Building in Milwaukee.
Bittercube’s Milwaukee headquarters is in a rehabbed building called the Lincoln Warehouse, which has everything they could possibly need to make cocktails.
Bittercube’s apothecary is housed on the 2nd floor. Their neighbors, local distiller Twisted Path is also on site. Dock 18 is a cocktail room that serves as a tasting and testing room, with weekly changing menu, oftentimes influenced by local organic foods company that occupies the 1st floor. Top Note Tonic (also a client) makes exceptional and unique tonics, and everyone is looking forward to an upcoming restaurant opening.
Of course, many experimental products are still made here in MN in a basement apothecary that resembles a midevil alchemist laboratory, but final recipes are honed then sent for production.
TRY BITTERCUBE at LAWLESS DISTILLING WITH CRAFT NOTES GUIDEBOOK & FREE COCKTIAL.
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BITTERCUBE’S BITTERS
The bar partnerships have allowed Bittercube to really “geek out” on certain cocktails. Eat Street opened as a whiskey place. Scena opened as a gin place with custom tonics, but overall, Bittercube makes bitters.
They put a huge focus on quality and consistency, which is a problem for many start-up craftsmen. To keep 65 ingredients in house like they were at Eat Street, or like some people do in their basements, is nearly impossible. But to make 8 phenomenal bitters, THAT they do flawlessy.
RECIPES YOU CAN MAKE
Want to impress your friends? I asked Bittercube’s Marco for his favorite, simpler craft cocktails that people would be able to make at home…
NICK KOSEVICH ON THE FUTURE OF CRAFT COCKTAILS
WHO ARE YOU WORKING WITH NOW?
Currently Bittercube is crafting phenomenal drinks at Lawless Distilling in South Minneapolis. They are also working with craft coffee company Black Eye (nitro cold press).
Look for great cocktails programs headed by the Bittercube mixologists here in the Twin Cities at: Gamle Ode Aquavits, Crooked Water Spirits, Cafe Alma (opening in November), Brut (opening 2016)
WHAT OTHER PROGRAMS ARE YOU WORKING ON?
4 years ago Nick got 3rd place in a national Bombay Gin competition. Since then, he’s gotten to work as a brand ambassador and helps them create house-made tonic kits made out of 14 different extracts that are all created differently for their clients.
If you were at the Fulton Gran Fondo this year, you might have gotten to try out some “Lonely Blonde Syrup” – a syrup made with beer!
cRAFT BOOM SATURATION?
It’s great all the stuff people are making, but Nick thinks we are reaching a point of saturation, and although there are not nearly the same number of breweries today as there were 60 years ago, “I’m pretty sure people just drank more back in the day…” But again, quality and consistency keep the market open to exceptional craftsmen.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OTHER GUYS MAKING GREAT CRAFT COCKTAILS?
Tattersall: put a great team of experienced mixologists makes awesome products (and they use a ton of Bittercube, despite having their own bitters company).
Hola Arepa: not just great arepas, it’s an amazing cocktail place that is pushing limits on craft cocktails.
Marvel Bar: just awesome.
Restaurant Alma: A Bittercube Consulting client, will be opening soon with a new bar program, and currently, low-proof cocktails.
IS BITTERCUBE EXPANDING?
Bittercube is launching in Washington DC, Portland, Houston, putting awesome bartenders on the ground in each market; making it distribution in 30 states, Australia, Canada, Italy, with continual expansion planned.
Currently, they work with 13 different bars across the country and the owners spend a lot of time on the road.
Nick’s tip for people doing that kind of travel in the world of cocktails?
“The cocktail road is tough work. When not working, it’s time for detox (no booze, but to keep that busy, just coffee)…”
GO CHECK THEM OUT LOCALLY!
at LAWLESS DISTILLING TASTING ROOM
2619 S 28th Ave, South Minneapolis| 612-251-9250
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If you want an authentic Bittercube cocktail you can go to the new Lawless Distillery and have them make you one! Otherwise, you’ll have to order online and make your own.
– Here's the Deal –
Nothing on this matter for now. But this is a good post.
